Historic First Presbyterian Church, Jackson, Mississippi, USA (founded 1837) is the largest Presbyterian congregation in the State and one of the largest in the United States. A flagship congregation of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA), First Church played a significant role in establishing the PCA (the largest conservative Presbyterian denomination in the English-speaking world), Reformed Theological Seminary, and Reformed University Ministries (a nationwide campus fellowship).

Sunday, June 25, 2006

Anne, the children and I are in South Carolina on vacation. We worshipped at First Presbyterian, Columbia (ARP) this morning. Sinclair Ferguson's message was marvelous. You must listen to it online.

Jim Moore will give you a quick review of this year's PCA GA tonight at the PM. Dominic Aquila reports this from the PCA GA -

34th PCA General Assembly Update

More than 1,400 PCA commissioners gathered at the Atlanta Hyatt Regency for the denomination’s 34th General Assembly, June 20-23, 2006. Here is a summary of some of its actions:

Strategic Planning Committee ReportOne of the major items considered by the General Assembly was the report of the Strategic Planning Committee, which had been erected in 2000. It had been studying various aspects of the PCA and its report contained recommendations for the future health and growth of the denomination.

“If the PCA continues its current rate of growth, we’ll have more than one million members by 2028,” said Frank Brock, chairman of the Ad Interim on Strategic Planning Committee. “This is the right time to think strategically about the PCA’s future.”

All of the committee’s proposed changes were approved by the General Assembly. These changes, which take effect at the end of the 34th General Assembly, include:

Several modifications to the General Assembly’s Rules of Assembly Operations (RAO)—intended to reduce the amount of debate on the floor of the GA on parliamentary procedures allowing for a focus on debate on substantive issues.

An expanded Overtures Committee, which will include representatives from all 75 presbyteries. The hope is that this expanded committee will provide fuller participation by commissioners and promote deliberation within the body.

The creation of a new Cooperative Ministries Committee. This committee will be composed of representatives from the PCA’s various agencies and committees, and will encourage networking and cooperation among the various GA level ministries.